Fined
by themusicain
Summary: Captain Scarlet's niece, Sandra Ryder a.k.a Charity Angel has recently joined Spectrum, but her first mission- to escort the World President- isn't exactly a success
1. Chapter 1

Fined

Ch. 1

As always, the Spectrum men were at the doorway of the canteen on Cloudbase just as the Angels entered. Captains Blue and Ochre regarded the group of white-clad women appreciatively as they walked past. Magenta joined them.

"Mmm, is that a new girl I see there?"

"Why, yes, Magenta, I think it is," grinned Ochre, his eyes fixing on the girl's rear. "It's nice to see Spectrum still picks out the best," he added with a wink.

Blue coughed. "Don't let Scarlet hear you say that."

"Don't let me hear them say what?"

Captain Scarlet had appeared behind them clutching a plastic lunch tray laden with sandwiches.

"We were just discussing the… ah, _merits_ of our female pilots," said Magenta with a wink.

Scarlet followed his gaze. "_Sandra?_" he called out. He rushed up to the newbie, set down his tray on a table and gave her a hug. Blue chuckled at the expressions on Ochre and Magenta's face.

"I did warn you. Sandra's his niece."

CS

Sandra Ryder had always wanted to join Spectrum, ever since her uncle had. In truth, she really didn't regard Paul as an uncle; there was only ten years between them, after all. She'd been thrilled when she'd been accepted. And now, here she was, on Cloudbase as an Angel! Of course, on duty she was Charity Angel. The phrase still felt weird.

Right now, she was sitting in the Angels' lounge, on the ready in case she got called out. Rhapsody noticed her nervousness.

"Hey, relax! If you're needed you're needed, that's all there is to it."

"I know, it's just-"

"It's just it's your first time and you don't want to make an idiot of yourself, yeah?"

Sandra smiled gratefully. "Yeah."

Rhapsody sat beside her, shaking out her red hair. "I hadn't realised you knew Captain Scarlet, are you related?"

Sandra nodded. "He's my uncle." Seeing Rhapsody's alarmed look, she chuckled. "My mother's about fifteen years older than him, so he was ten when she had me." Rhapsody nodded.

"Do you have any other siblings? Scarlet doesn't really talk about himself or his family, and goodness knows we've all tried."

"That is right," said Destiny as she walked past to the drink machine. "He is friendly, it is true, but he seems reluctant to talk about his past."

Sandra chuckled. "Are you asking me to dish the dirt on Spectrum's top agent?"

Symphony jumped onto the sofa beside her and gave her a cheeky grin. "If you're offering…"

"Well, he was Mr Popular at school. We both went to the same school, ten years apart, obviously, and for the first few weeks all I heard from the teachers was Paul this and Paul that. His name's on one or two trophies, he was a prefect-"

"Everything you'd expect of him, in other words," completed Symphony. "But you must have some stories to tell?"

Sandra considered it. "Well, there was this one time when we went hiking with some friends about five years ago while he was on leave, and we camped close to this beach- this was somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, Caithness, possibly- and there was a graveyard close to the campsite.

"Anyway, we sat round the fire, as you do, toasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories, and one friend, who knew a fair bit about the local history, told us this _really_ creepy one about some fisherman who fell overboard at sea and has been sighted since, covered in seaweed.

"While a couple of the guys went to get some driftwood, they found some phosphorescent seaweed, so they waited 'till everyone went to bed, then they crept into Scarlet's tent and started stroking his face with the seaweed." The Angels giggled, and some of them shuddered.

"So what did he do?" asked Symphony in a whisper.

"He jumped up yelling, and had chased them halfway through the graveyard before he'd realised who it was." The Angels fell about laughing. The door opened.

"Charity, Harmony and Rhapsody, Colonel White wants to see you. What?" he added with a raised eyebrow, since the Angels' laughter had increased at the sight of him standing in the doorway. "What's going on?" he demanded as Sandra and the other two Angels hurried out of the door. Sandra gave him what looked rather like an apologetic look as she rushed away, leaving the other three Angels to tell Scarlet what she'd been up to.

CS

"Ladies, the World President is to visit London later this month, and therefore shall require an escort from his current location to the airport, then from there to Heathrow in London, where a helijet will be waiting to cover him to his final destination. I want the three of you to escort him."

"Yes sir," replied the Angels.

"Good," said Colonel White. "You may go. Actually, Charity…"

"Yes sir?" Sandra paused on her way out the door.

"This will be your first assignment. I wish you luck."

Sandra smiled. "Thankyou sir."

CS

Paul Metcalfe thought his ears were on fire, an impression confirmed when he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection on the coffee-pot as Symphony poured him a mug of the stuff by way of a peace offering.

"It was just a bit of fun _really_," she said sympathetically, all the while clearly not trying to laugh. "It's nice to know you're not completely perfect."

"Thanks," Paul replied dryly, gulping the hot brew. "I didn't realise that was how you saw me, to be honest."

"You're ze top agent," said Destiny. "You 'ave been on many missions, and you never seem to 'ave an 'air out of place."

"That's just because you've never seen me after an explosion," said Paul. He heard the hiss of the doors opening. "Ah, my little niece has been up to mischief," he said to Sandra. She had the grace to blush.

"If you really want, you can get me back later with a story about me."

"But there aren't any good ones about you that don't involve me in a similar situation… I mean…" Paul cursed himself quietly, aware that he'd dug himself a hole; the Angels were wearing identical looks of immense interest.

"So, err… what did the Colonel want to talk about?" he asked quickly, changing the subject.

"We're to escort the President to London," said Rhapsody.

"Wow, Sandra, not bad for your first assignment," congratulated Symphony. "I remember my first one. I had to chase after this guy who's run off with some top-secret paperwork. Exciting, but nothing like this."

"Mine was escorting some nasty weaponry that had been recovered," put in Rhapsody.

"My first mission was to get the Colonel some coffee," muttered Paul. Seeing the puzzled expressions on the girls' faces, he asked them, "Are you lot like one of those alien races that communicate telepathically and move and think as one?" He sighed. "I was down on Earth investigating reports of an assassin planning to kidnap one of the world leaders, and the Colonel told me to get some of his favourite brand while I was down there. Blue found the assassin before I did, so all I really did was get the Colonel coffee." He shrugged. "Not what you'd call taxing."

Rhapsody chuckled and sat down on one of the sofas. "Now, Charity, tell me some more Captain Scarlet stories.

CS

for the record, the story about captain scarlet is based on a true one: when my grandad was a scout, he and his mates found some phosphorescent seaweed, and decided to wave it about in the other tent that night. the occpants apparently made a lot of noise


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Sandra's stomach was fluttering when the day arrived. Rhapsody and Harmony almost had to force-feed her.

"Come on, you need to eat. How would it be if you passed out from low blood-sugar or something whilst flying?" That got Sandra eating.

"When you're done," said Lieutenant Green, walking past on his way to the queue, "the Colonel says he wants to see you for a last-minute go-over."

CS

Colonel White looked up as Rhapsody, Harmony and Charity walked in. He allowed himself a brief moment to appreciate how smart they looked. Nothing at all to do with their curves, of course. Then he was all business again.

"Sit, please." They sat. "You have your instructions?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You will fly from here to the J.F.K airport, where you will touch down and rendezvous with Spectrum agents and the President and his personal security. From there you will accompany him to Heathrow airport in London. Captain Grey will be accompanying the President in the jet. Rhapsody, I'm putting you in charge. Issue all instructions as necessary, and keep constant contact with the President's craft."

"Yes sir. What happens when we get to London?"

"A helijet will follow the President from there. He is to be transported first to his hotel and then to the Houses of Parliament. Any other questions? No? Then prepare to launch."

"S.I.G," replied the women, and left.

Colonel White watched them go with a small sigh. He was worried, but he wasn't sure why. In truth, it was a fairly simple operation; get from A to B without being shot at. But for some reason he felt something was missing. Perhaps it had been the lack of a Mysteron threat.

CS

The weather didn't look particularly fabulous. Cloudbase stood out brightly against the grey clouds. Still, an assignment was an assignment, and Sandra had no choice in the matter. She switched her helmet mike and called out the standard test: "One, two, three, testing." In her ears she could hear the other two doing the same. 

"Angels, you are clear to launch," said Lieutenant Green from the control room.

"S.I.G." Sandra felt the lurch as the plane took off, and she followed her fellow pilots on the route to New York.

CS

_This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know you can hear us, Earth men. We are transmitting on all your radio frequencies. We will invoke the fine. Do you hear us, Earth men? We will invoke the fine._

CS

"The library?" Captain Scarlet frowned as he tried to figure out what they might mean. "The Mysterons usually have bigger targets."

"That's what worries me, " admitted Colonel White, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Are you feeling alright, sir?"

The Colonel looked up and smiled thinly. "I've been losing a lot of sleep over this assignment." Scarlet nodded in understanding.

"How are they doing at the moment, sir?"

Lieutenant Green pressed a few switches, and the Angels' flight plan appeared on the screen behind Colonel White's desk. "They're almost at New York. I've told Rhapsody to report in once she's landed, and again when they take off."

"Good." The Colonel looked at Scarlet closely for a moment. "The question you were really asking was, "How is_ she_ doing?" wasn't it?" Scarlet nodded sheepishly.

"She's not so much as a niece as a sister, in all actual honesty. There's only ten years between us, so we tended to look out for each other. And the advantage was, I'd only recently been through everything she was going through, so I could help her in ways her parents would have found more difficult." White nodded.

"Her marks are impressive, and I've seen some of her training videos. She'll be fine."

Captain Scarlet thanked him and left the room, back to writing reports about how painful it was to encounter Mysteron agents.

CS

"This is Rhapsody Angel calling Cloudbase."

"Go ahead, Rhapsody Angel."

"Colonel, we have landed in J.F.K airport and are about to rendezvous with the President."

"S.I.G."

Rhapsody climbed out of the plane and stretched, being one of those people who enjoyed the feeling of her joints cracking as she bent them. She pulled off her helmet and shook her red hair out. To her right and left, Harmony and Charity were engaged in the same thing. Smoothing down her uniform, she led the other two to where the President's car sat waiting beside a private jet. She stood to attention and watched as a brown-haired, middle-aged man emerged.

"Rhapsody, Harmony and Charity Angels, Spectrum."

"Good afternoon. I must thank you for accompanying me once again," said the President, shaking each woman's hand in turn. He paused on Charity. "I don't think we've met."

"No sir," replied Charity, keeping her expression neutral. "I was accepted only a month ago."

The President nodded, then turned back to Rhapsody. "Shall we go?"

"Ready when you are, sir."

The President climbed the steps into his jet, and the Angels made their way back to their planes, donning their helmets as they did so. Various ground crews scrambled away as they approached, having finished re-filling them.

"Angels, prepare to launch," commanded Rhapsody once she'd settled into the seat. "Presidential jet, we are good to go."

"S.I.G."

CS

As they neared London, the weather grew steadily worse. Sandra had to rely on her instruments to assure her she wasn't about to crash into something; her eyes were no use in the rain.

"Cloudbase calling Angels one two and three. When you touch down in London, stay there until the weather improves enough for you to make a safe journey home."

"I'm not complaining!" exclaimed Rhapsody, tiredness and stress causing her to lapse protocol. "I'm absolutely shattered, and this weather isn't helping."

Sandra and Harmony voiced their agreement over the airwaves. Something dark ahead caught Sandra's eye. She checked her radar and tracking equipment. It wasn't the President's plane or the other Angels.

"Everyone, there's a dark shape ahead of me, and it's not any of you lot."

Instantly Rhapsody was alert. "If there is a craft, it must be treated as a threat. Prepare to fire."

Sandra lightly touched the trigger nervously. She didn't like the idea of killing someone.

"Mystery craft coming your way Sandra… Sandra, pull up! It's headed straight for you!"

Sandra obeyed, and she felt the swoosh of the craft as it flew underneath her. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She glanced at her radar. "It's coming back!"

"Hold on, Sandra, I'm coming!" yelled Rhapsody. "Harmony, stay with the President."

"S.I.G." Was it Sandra's imagination, or did Harmony sound a little grumpy.

"It's gone!"

"What?"

Sandra checked her instruments, sure she was wrong. The blip that had identified the mystery aircraft was no longer there. "There's nothing there!"

That was when something punched into the side of Sandra's plane.

CS

Rhapsody saw the plane ram Charity's plane, not enough to cause an explosion, but certainly enough to cause both craft to lurch out of control. She shouted instructions to Sandra while trying to keep track of both craft. After a moment she realised she wasn't getting any response.

"Sandra? Sandra, can you hear me? Sandra, answer me!" She could hear Harmony shouting the same thing. After a tense moment, she heard a faint groan. "Sandra?"

"…yes…" the reply was faint.

"Are you okay?"

"No." Rhapsody heard more groans and wincing. "It's crumpled the side of the craft. My arm's caught." Rhapsody felt the blood drain from her cheeks.

"Can you get it free?"

"I'll let you know. Where is it?" Sandra's reply was punctuated with grunts and gasps as she tried to free her trapped limb.

Rhapsody peered out. Below, she could see the wreckage of the craft. Emergency services were already scrambling over it like flies. "On the ground. How's your's holding up?"

"Not good. The steering's gone haywire and the wing's in danger of parting company with me-" A horrible shriek of grinding metal and a yell from Sandra reached her ears.

"I'm going down!"

"Nose up!" Rhapsody bit her lip. "Is your arm free yet?"

"Nearly…"

"The minute you're free, eject. If you can't, aim for a clear area and try and get the nose up."

She followed the falling craft, frantic.

CS

Mark Fletcher was a careful man. Security was his job, after all. Currently he was driving towards Spectrum's London headquarters, ready to go back to Cloudbase after his month's leave. Classic FM was playing Wagner's _Ride of the Valkyrie_. A huge crash overhead made him stop the car and stick his head out the window. There appeared to be some sort of dogfight going on above. He recognised the symbol on one of the planes.

"My God!" he muttered. Suddenly, one of the planes fell out of the sky, and another Spectrum plane joined the first one, which appeared to be falling rapidly. In his direction.

Swearing, he turned the key frantically, starting the car, then sped as quickly as he could, trying to get away.

CS

Sandra gave one last yell and pulled again. To her relief, her arm came free, but her white uniform was streaked with blood, and to move it was agony. She glanced out of the plane, shocked by how close to the ground she was, and ejected. She felt the rush of the wind as the glass came away, then the horrible feeling as her chair was thrown out of the plane. Then came the lurch of the parachute being deployed.

Floating serenely in the rain, Sandra watched her plane continue its course with wide eyes. They grew wider with horror as she saw a turquoise car trying to get away. The driver had no chance. The plane ploughed straight into the unfortunate vehicle and exploded. Sandra passed out, still suspended in the air. She didn't notice the black car parked in the field.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Are you alright, miss?"

Sandra thought she might throw up. A moment later, she did.

"It's okay, just take it easy." The stranger patted her back, supporting her as she vomited in front of him, comforting her, calming her. When she'd stopped, she became aware of a splitting headache and that her left arm felt like it was about to fall off, and all she wanted to do was sleep. She leaned back, then straightened up again, embarrassed that she was leaning onto the stranger.

"It's okay," he said again, chortling. "What's your name?"

Sandra paused. Even in her state, she knew she shouldn't reveal her real name to a civilian. "Charity Angel, Spectrum."

"Secretary Plato, Spectrum," replied the man with a small laugh. Sandra turned to look at his face.

He was pretty good-looking, in all actual honesty. He was one of those redheads that you just couldn't call ginger, with really dark brown eyes that smiled at her warmly. Now she was embarrassed that she was in such a mess in front of this man, and the fact that he worked in Spectrum made it worse. He'd probably seen her fall out of the sky, too.

A yell drew her attention away from this increasingly fascinating man. Harmony and Rhapsody were running towards them, their planes in the field behind them. For the first time, Sandra realised she was on the edge of a road, and her Angel was scattered all over the place. Suddenly, her stomach lurched and she went cold.

"The car! Oh my God! Rhapsody, there was a car on the road! My Angel went right into it!" She felt awful. The others looked at her strangely.

"Charity…" said Harmony slowly, "there is no car there. The only wreckage in sight is that of the two planes."

Sandra looked, then looked again. She was right. There was no turquoise amongst the white, black and grey.

"But I saw it!" she exclaimed softly. Rhapsody looked concerned. She looked up at Secretary Plato.

"Thanks, Mark. We'll take care of her now. The ambulances are on their way." He nodded, and patted Sandra gently on the right shoulder before getting up.

"Hope you get better."

"Thanks."

Sandra watched him walk away to his car. It was turquoise. She felt the world go sideways, and everything went black.

CS

Doctor Fawn leaned back, exhausted, and counted down from three.

"Three… two… one…"

"Where is she?"

Captain Scarlet burst into the sickbay, and Doctor Fawn held his hands up in a tired gesture, all the while giving him a look that said, "Mess with me and _you'll_ be needing my medical knowledge." Scarlet calmed down a little.

"Where is Sandra?" he repeated.

"In the furthest bed along. She's asleep, mind you, so don't expect any exciting conversation." Scarlet sank into a chair, suddenly drained.

"Some uncle I turned out to be," he muttered resentfully. Doctor Fawn sat beside him.

"Paul, I don't want you blaming yourself. This had nothing to do with you. Sandra was attacked whilst on a mission, that was all. She survived and is recovering."

"I know, but…" Scarlet sighed. "She decided she wanted to join Spectrum because I did. She thought it was a great idea."

"It was still her choice."

Scarlet nodded silently. "Can I see her?" he asked tentatively.

Doctor Fawn took his arm and led him to Sandra's bed. He was disturbed by Scarlet's depression and anxiety, it was so unlike the authoritative, impatient officer he usually had to deal with. Scarlet sat in the chair beside it and reached out to take her good hand. The doctor decided to go and do some paperwork.

CS

Paul felt so bad, but he wasn't even sure why. He knew perfectly well that it wasn't his fault the fighter had attacked Sandra, and he hadn't made Sandra join Spectrum, but, as he had all through his life, he felt some responsibility for what happened to his niece.

Sandra stirred a little and her eyes flickered open. She smiled slightly.

"Hi."

Paul just looked at her sadly. She sighed.

"I'll be fine, the doctor said so. I just need some sleep and give my arm a chance to mend, that's all."

Paul relaxed a little. Sandra was being as lippy as ever, and this convinced him that she actually was ok.

"What was it?" he asked.

Sandra frowned as she tried to remember. "I'm not sure. It was painted completely black, and it didn't have any distinctive markings… it actually looked a little like the Angels." She shrugged.

"Anything else?" She shook her head.

"Not really. Except…" she bit her lip, suddenly uncertain. "I remember, after ejecting, before I passed out, there was a turquoise car on the road. I'm sure I saw the plane crash into it, yet when I came to, there was no wreckage, and a turquoise car was parked _behind_ the plane."

"You'd just had a serious accident and a lucky escape," Paul pointed out. "You were probably seeing things."

"I guess…" Sandra didn't look too certain. She yawned.

"I'll leave you in peace," said Paul, getting up. "See you later."

"Night."

CS

As Sandra recovered, she got more and more visitors. Captain Scarlet would come in almost every free moment he had until Doctor Fawn ejected him from the sickbay. Occasionally he brought Captain Blue with him. The Angels visited in pairs, the first being a very upset-looking Harmony and Rhapsody not long after she woke up for the second time. The Colonel and Lieutenant Green had been to see her, mostly to discuss what she'd seen and the eventual report she would have to write.

Now she was bored. Doctor Fawn had said he would discharge her soon, but she wasn't allowed to do any flying just yet. She wasn't exactly sure _what _she'd do until then. A familiar frustration swept over her. She'd just got into Spectrum, and on her first bloody mission she'd screwed up! The pillow got the full force of her good fist.

"Sandra, you have a visitor."

Sandra looked up. The others had come and gone as they pleased, with the exception of the Colonel, who'd been announced by the doctor. This time, however, it wasn't the Colonel. It was the man who had found her after the crash.

"Secretary Plato!"

Plato smiled. "I'm off duty. Plain Mark will do just fine."

"Mark…?"

"Fletcher." He sat in the chair beside the bed, and Sandra suddenly felt awkward. "I must say, you're looking a lot better than you did last time I saw you. You must forgive me for taking so long to visit you, I've been rather busy."

"That's okay," replied Sandra, a little breathless; he really was good-looking.

"Nevertheless. Doctor Fawn says you're to be let out soon."

"Yeah, but I'm not allowed to fly for ages yet," she replied rather bitterly. "I don't actually know what I'm going to do to keep myself amused."

"You could visit family."

Sandra pulled a face. "I'd love to see them, but all they'd do is mother me until I'd wish I'd stayed on Cloudbase after all." The pair lapsed into silence for a moment.

"You could always help out in my department," suggested Mark.

"Your department?"

Mark nodded. "Like you may have guessed, I'm more or less a secretary; I have to take care of all the paperwork on Cloudbase. There's only one other person, Secretary Aristotle, and he's on leave at the moment. Why don't we ask Colonel White if you can help there?"

Sandra pretended to think about it. Her instincts were screaming, "Yes! He's gorgeous!" but still she played for time. "Would I have to name myself after a philosopher?" she asked.

Mark laughed. "Not if you don't want to. You'll still be Charity Angel."

Sandra smiled. "Fair enough."

Mark laughed a little, then told her to sleep. She obeyed, allowing his soft voice to lull her away to dreamland.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Colonel White read through Charity Angel's report carefully, then Doctor Fawn's, then Rhapsody's, then those of the people involved in the clean-up operation, and Secretary Plato's. Finally, he looked up.

"This all seems to be in order, Charity, but there's just thing that's bothering me."

"What is that, sir?" Charity was dressed in civilian clothes, and her arm was hidden in a cast that had already been doodled on by several members of Spectrum, himself among them.

"It's this part about seeing your plane crash into a car on the road. Rhapsody mentions it too; apparently, you panicked about it when you came to." Charity nodded. "However, the clean-up operation says nothing about the wreckage of a turquoise car."

"I know, sir. When I came to, there was no sign of the car having ever been there. I suppose I saw it on the road and my imagination got the better of me," she shrugged. "I'd just had a nasty accident, I guess."

The Colonel wasn't entirely convinced, and he made a mental note to send someone to check out the crash site. To Charity however, he said, "I suppose that was the case." He pulled out Doctor Fawn's report. "Doctor Fawn says you're not fit to fly just yet." He was amused to see the girl grimace.

"I feel fine, honestly. Just the odd twinge in my arm."

"He recommends keeping you off duty for at least a month." Charity was obviously displeased about this, but she had the sense to keep her mouth shut. The Colonel felt sympathetic towards her, but hid it under his professional manner. "Secretary Plato suggested that you join him in the records room during that time, to keep you from being completely bored." He saw Charity's eyes light up, and guessed that met with approval. "I'll arrange it immediately," he promised. "You'll start tomorrow."

"Thankyou, sir," smiled Charity, and stood up to go. She'd taken about five steps towards the door when she suddenly keeled over.

Colonel White was up and beside her in a heartbeat, Lieutenant Green right beside him. They immediately checked her pulse and breathing.

"She seems to be ok, just passed out," said Green. "What could have made her faint like that, though?"

"I have no idea," said the Colonel worriedly. "She was fine just a moment ago." A groan drew his attention back to the woman on the floor.

"Wh… what?" She raised herself onto her good elbow. "What happened?"

"You passed out," replied Lieutenant Green.

"Passed out?"

"Do you feel alright?" asked Green, checking her eyes.

"I'm fine," she replied, pushing him away and standing up. "Honest."

The Colonel had to admit she looked all right. "Go see Doctor Fawn, then get some rest for the remainder of the day. We'll see how you are in the morning."

"Yes, sir." Charity left the control room, leaving her concerned superior to ponder over what had just happened.

CS

"You're sure you're alright?"

Sandra rolled her eyes and folded her arms. Paul held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Okay, okay, I was just checking. It's just that the idea of you fainting isn't really a nice one, especially since your accident-"

"Will people just stop going on about the bloody accident?" Sandra just about screamed this at him, and flopped face down onto the bed, ignoring the jolt of pain through her arm as she did so. A moment later, she felt part of the mattress sink as Paul sat down on it, and then his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he murmured quietly. "I'm just worried about you, that's all. I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you, and apparently I can't even do that."

Sandra rolled over and sat up, leaning on him. "It wasn't your fault," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have screamed at you. It's just, everyone goes on and on about this, and I'm sick of it; it reminds me that I've screwed up on my first ever mission."

Paul opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the lights on his epaulettes flashing. The mike on his hat fell down in front of his mouth.

"Colonel White?"

"Captain Scarlet, I want you to report to the control room at once."

"Right away, sir." The mike flew back up to its original position, and he sighed.

"I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"Sure."

Sandra watched him leave, then went into the small bathroom and began to get undressed, running the bath. Normally she'd have had a shower, but with her cast, a bath was a better idea. She stood, wrapped in a towel, gazing at her reflection critically, watching the steam blur her image.

Now her vision was blurring, and she started to get worried. A wave of dizziness swept over her, and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Sandra yawned as she left the canteen and headed towards the record rooms. When she'd come to after fainting in the bathroom, the floor had been soaked; her bath had overflown. Somehow, miraculously, her cast hadn't got wet, so she hadn't had to go to Doctor Fawn. She just didn't want people to make a fuss over her. However, she'd had to mop up the sopping wet floor before she could have her bath, and then she'd fallen asleep until the water had gone cold. All in all, Sandra hadn't had a good night.

She rested her hand on the panel beside the door to the record room and watched the door slide open.

She was a little surprised. She'd expected a small, untidy room filled with filing cabinets and desks, with hardly any room to walk in, and piles of paper everywhere. However, the record room was actually fairly large. It _was_ lined with filing cabinets, but everything seemed tidy and neatly ordered. There _was_ a desk, but it was clear save for a computer, a small desk tidy and in and out trays. A rather nice ass was poking out from underneath. The owner crawled out from underneath the desk as Sandra stepped inside.

"Ah, Charity Angel," said Secretary Plato, smiling broadly as he stood up. "Forgive me, I was retrieving this pen."

Sandra smiled. "No problem. So, what am I supposed to do?"

Plato showed her over to the desk and gestured for her to sit down.

"It was the stock-take yesterday, and these are the results. I'd like you to fill them into the computer for me, please."

Sandra did as she was told. Plato fiddled with a small portable radio, and the sounds of rock music blared form the speakers. Currently, it was an old Queen one, _The Invisible Man_. Not one of Sandra's all time favourites, but still a good song.

She was grateful for the fact that her cast left her fingers free to move; the job would have taken even longer with just the one hand, and Sandra wasn't the fastest of typists anyway.

A small, white light began pulsing on the wall.

"Plato?" Plato looked up, then switched off the radio.

"That's the Colonel," he explained. He pressed a switch beneath it. "Sir?"

"Secretary, could you send up the latest Mysteron recording?"

"Sure thing." Plato opened one of the drawers in a filing cabinet marked "Mysterons," and selected a CD.

"I'll be right back," he said, and left, allowing Sandra another view of his backside as he went through the door.

_Mmmm_, thought Sandra to herself. _I think I might like working here._

CS

Rhapsody watched Captain Ochre in disgust as he shovelled another mouthful of ravioli in his open mouth. She'd never like the stuff, and Ochre's eating habits weren't exactly winning her over. She noticed Blue and Scarlet smiling at her in amusement. Aware that something was up, Ochre looked up at them, puzzled.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," said Rhapsody lightly, getting to her feet and carrying her half-eaten lunch to the bins. "I've just lost my appetite, that's all," she added over her shoulder.

Ochre looked at the other Captains, who were clearly trying not to laugh. Blue in particular was having problems in hiding it, and eventually faked a coughing fit.

"What?" he asked again. "Was it something I said?"

Captain Scarlet took pity on him and handed him a napkin. Ochre didn't get it. Symphony walked over.

"Richard, are you aware you've got sauce all over your chin?" She handed him a compact mirror. Ochre started to wipe the stuff off and Symphony leant close.

"Between you and me, your eating habits leave much to be desired. I suggest you improve them if you ever want to find a girl." She straightened up, and planted a kiss on Blue's cheek. "See you later." Blue grinned as he watched her leave the dining hall. He turned back to see Captain Magenta striding towards them with a scowl. He slid over to make room for him.

"Hi, Pat."

"Hi," replied Magenta monotonously, sitting down abruptly and toying with his food.

"If you're not going to eat it, you shouldn't get it in the first place," said Scarlet.

"Oh, shut it," snapped Magenta. Scarlet simply raised an eyebrow at Blue and carried on eating in silence. Ochre frowned. Blue shushed him with a look, then looked pointedly at a point over his shoulder. Ochre turned to see what it was, and realisation dawned. He nodded, and continued his lunch.

Blue finished quickly, and waited for Scarlet to finish before leaving the canteen.

"You saw them too, huh?" asked Scarlet as they went to the lounge.

"Yup." They didn't need to say who it was. It had been pretty obvious.

"Well, I'm sorry, but if he's not going to ask her out first…"

"I know."

The object of Magenta's annoyance was Secretary Plato, or rather, the fact that he was now, officially, Charity Angel's boyfriend. Blue felt a little sympathy for the young captain, but it was hard when he insisted on acting as if it was Paul's fault. From what he could tell, Paul had been just as surprised at Sandra's choice as everyone else.

"I suppose he's good-looking, to a woman…"

"Are you kidding?" They jumped, to see Rhapsody standing right behind them. Scarlet muttered something about eavesdropping and startling men with guns, but she smiled it off.

"He's _gorgeous_!" she continued. "Of course, I'd rather have you any day, Paul…" It wasn't unknown that the two had a relationship going on. "But, you know… for such an… _academic_ type person… he is pretty nice." Scarlet raised an eyebrow. She smiled back at him, then pecked him on the cheek and ran off. Blue chuckled.

"Face it, you can't stop them noticing certain things."

"I know," smiled Scarlet. "Personally, I think she just does it in an attempt to annoy me."

"Does it work?"

He shrugged. "Not really." He opened the door to the lounge. "Want to continue our chess game?"

CS

Sandra couldn't believe her luck. She was sure she'd managed to get the hottest guy on Cloudbase, and she loved every second of it. He was really funny, sweet and charming all at the same time, and he managed to make work interesting. The only thing that bothered her was his insistence on playing rock music really loud. Sure, she liked that genre of music, but there were other types of music out there, too.

She looked up as Symphony and Destiny walked in, carrying a whole load of reports. Just for her to file. She smiled.

"Ah, _cherie_, we miss you! Will you be joining us again soon?"

Sandra examined her cast. "Doctor Fawn said about a month, and it's only been five days. I do miss flying, I admit, but I'm having fun here too."

"I'll bet you are," muttered Symphony, plonking her pile down on the desk with a loud thump. "Truth be told, I'm just glad to see you're so well after your accident."

Sandra nodded, and reached out to take the files. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness overcame her, and she toppled to the floor.

CS

Paul just about ran over Doctor Fawn in his rush to get to the sick bay.

"Woah, she's fine, just a dizzy spell," said the doctor soothingly. Seeing that Paul wasn't listening, he took him by the elbow and sat him down.

"She's in her room, Paul. Her _own_ room. I just sent her to bed for the rest of the day just in case, but she seems fine to me. I imagine she's asleep, so I'd advise against going to see her."

_Asleep_, thought Paul with a snort as he got up to go. _Yeah, right._

Sandra was, as he's suspected, awake. In fact, she was pacing round her room, clearly annoyed with herself. She glanced up as he came in.

"How're you-"

"_Fine!_" Sandra paused and grimaced apologetically. "That was rude, wasn't it? Sorry."

Paul put an arm around her shoulders, unsure of what to do or say. Due to retromotabolism, he never had to put up with a slowly healing injury, so he wasn't entirely sure what the best thing would be for Sandra.

"What brought it on?" he asked eventually.

Sandra shrugged. "I dunno. One second I was fine, then the next everything was black. All of a sudden, I was on the floor of the record room with Rhapsody putting me into the recovery position." Paul sighed.

"Maybe you just went back to work a bit too soon," he suggested.

"But I didn't! It just came out of the blue. And I'm not going to spend the rest of my time in bed 'cos of a momentary lapse in consciousness."

"That's one way of putting it," muttered Paul.

CS

True to her word, Sandra was back in the record room the next day, sorting through some old Mysteron tapes. She'd just finished putting the last one in the drawer when Captain Magenta came in. He held out a report, eyes staring steadily at the floor. Sandra took it, puzzled at his behaviour. Without a word, the captain left. Mentally shrugging to herself, Sandra filed the report and sat down, running a hand over her eyes; she'd stared at the computer rather a lot that day. Mark emerged from a cupboard.

"Are we done?" he asked. Sandra nodded, and he produced a set of keys. Picking up his briefcase, he led her out and locked the door. Sandra slipped her arm round his waist. He responded by putting his arm over her shoulders, and the two of them made their way over to Sandra's quarters.

CS

_This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know you can hear us, Earth men. We are transmitting on all your radio frequencies. We will invoke the fine. Do you hear us, Earth men? We will invoke the fine._

"Thankyou, Lieutenant."

Colonel White faced Captains Scarlet and Blue across the round table.

"Well, gentlemen? What do you make of it?"

"It's definitely a little different," said Blue musingly. "I mean, it's clearly a riddle, time, place and date are, as usual, ambiguous, but it's this bit about invoking the fine."

The Colonel nodded. "Funnily enough, that's the bit that's confusing the rest of us, too. What could we possibly have that the Mysterons could get a fine for?"

"There's all sorts of rules that demand a fine if they're not kept," said Scarlet. "For example, uniform regulations. Though I can't imagine that'd be suitable for the Mysterons."

"Perhaps equipment? They're going to damage equipment?" suggested Green.

"It could be anything," concluded Blue.

"Yes, that's what worries me," said the Colonel wearily.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

For the next few days, Sandra continued to work in the record room. She'd fainted another couple of times, but fortunately it was usually only Mark who saw her. They'd taken to going to each others' quarters at night, and Mark was talking about applying for a room for the pair of them.

About a week, later, all that went down the tubes.

Colonel White's light flashed on the wall.

"Secretary Plato, could you send up the reports about the most recent Mysteron-related incidents, please?"

"Right away, sir." Sandra watched happily as Mark began to rummage in one of the drawers. After a few minutes, he straightened up, frowning.

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah…" Mark searched in the rest of the drawers of the Mysteron cabinet. "I can't find the files he wants."

"What?" Sandra got up to help, and soon they'd been through every drawer in the room. Mark leaned against the desk in dismay.

"Someone's stolen them!" Sandra wasn't so sure.

"Perhaps they've just been misplaced."

"Sandra, we've been through all the drawers in the room, and I know for a fact no one's taken them out. They've been stolen!"

Sandra rubbed his shoulders, calming him down. "The first thing to do is tell the Colonel they're missing. Then we can start searching the base." Mark nodded. He took her hand and led her up to the control room.

CS

"_Missing_?"

To say Colonel White was angry would be an understatement. Lieutenant Green wisely shifted his chair a little further from his superior's desk.

"Yes sir," said Secretary Plato in obvious frustration; the lieutenant guessed this frustration was directed at himself. "We have searched the entire record room, and there's no sign of them, and no one's asked me for them." The Colonel nodded gravely.

"Then we'd better find them. I'll organise an investigation. It will take time, but…" The Colonel didn't need to add, _it's the best we can do._ He nodded to Charity and Plato. "I'll talk to you later." They nodded and left.

"Do you think they really _have_ been stolen, sir?" asked Green. White sighed.

"I honestly don't know quite what to think. I'm really hoping they _have_ just been misplaced, but in this business, everything seems to be the worst-case scenario. I must admit, the prospect of searching everyone's rooms doesn't appeal to me." Green nodded sympathetically.

"It's just hard to believe that someone here could do such a thing. What worries me, though, is that the culprit may already have left Cloudbase."

"I know," sighed the Colonel. "And if that is the case, this search is going to get a lot more complicated."

CS

Sandra stretched out on the sofa in her room, a mug of tea held between her hands. She sighed and swung her legs back down.

"Mark, are you going to pace my bedroom all night? I swear you're wearing a hole in my carpet."

Mark paused in his tracks and grimaced. He sat heavily on the sofa and reached out for his own mug.

"I just can't stop thinking about the stolen files. I've failed my job!" Sandra leaned over and kissed him.

"Oh, come on, it's not your fault. We'll find them, trust me."

Mark opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Frowning, he got off the couch and crawled over to the bed.

"What?"

He reached under the bed, and pulled out some sheets of paper.

"Sandra," he said slowly, "what are these files doing under your bed?"

Sandra set her mug down, puzzled. "What files?"

"These ones," he replied, his voice quivering with anger. "The Mysteron files. The ones that went missing!" His voice raised to a shout.

"_What?_" Sandra leapt up and grabbed the files from him, examining them. Sure enough, they were the missing Mysteron files. She stared up at him. "Honestly, I have no idea what they were doing there, I-" Mark grabbed her and threw her on the bed, his face livid. He grabbed the bed sheets and tied her up, his strength overcoming her struggles. She winced as he pulled her sore arm back.

"Mark, I didn't steal them! Don't you believe me?" He simply glared at her, then left the room. She heard the lock beep. Tears tracked slowly down her face.

CS

Captain Blue tried again. He waved the tea in front of his colleague's face, but to no avail; Captain Scarlet continued to stare rigidly into space. He looked up at Rhapsody.

"Try shaking him," she suggested. Blue did so, but still nothing.

"Paul?"

"Dammit, Paul, snap out of it!" Blue whacked his friend on the arm. That got some result.

"Huh?" Scarlet stared down at his arm. "You hit me."

"Welcome back to planet Earth," said Blue dryly. He shoved the tea back in his face. "Drink up." Scarlet did as he was told, and the brew seemed to bring a little more life into him.

"Sweet," he said. Blue didn't bother mentioning how much sugar he'd put in. Instead, he sat down next the Scarlet.

"Better?" Scarlet shook his head.

"I just don't believe it. Sandra would never do something like that."

"It came as a shock to all of us."

"I just don't understand how anyone could even think she did. I know her. She'd never steal those papers." He set down his now empty mug and put his face in his hands. Rhapsody sat on his other side and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I don't believe it either. I think someone planted those files in her room." Blue agreed, but there was something niggling at the back of his mind. His subconscious was making a connection.

CS

_This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know you can hear us, Earth men. We are transmitting on all your radio frequencies. We will invoke the fine. Do you hear us, Earth men? We will invoke the fine._

The Colonel sighed. It was so obvious now. The fine meant a library fine, like late, missing or damaged books. However, he didn't like the implications of what that might mean.

CS

Sandra leaned back, trying to get comfortable. While the cell met with the standards it should, it was still uncomfortable. _Though, to be honest_, she thought wryly, _it shouldn't be comfortable if it's going to hold criminals._ Then she pounded to hard bed with frustration. She wasn't a criminal! She'd never stolen those papers, and she couldn't possibly understand how they could think that.

Mark had come in to see her shortly after she'd been arrested. Again, she'd pleaded her case, but he'd simply glared at her.

"And to think I'd trusted you," he'd said in a low voice. "All those times I left you in the record room on your own. What a fool I was."

Just the memory brought tears to her eyes. She loved him, and she'd thought he'd loved her.

Doctor Fawn had visited too. Mark had managed to undo some of his good work on her arm when he'd tied her up, so the doctor was forced to check it and put it in another cast. He'd kept his eyes on his work the whole time, and only spoke to check how much it hurt, and without sympathy. She could tell he was disappointed with her.

The Colonel had also clearly been disappointed. He'd been brief, listening to her side, but she'd been aware how false it had sounded, even though it had been true. He'd examined her oddly, too, as if he was trying to see more than just her.

Paul hadn't come yet, but he probably wouldn't want to, and she didn't blame him. She curled up and wept pitifully.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Sir, I refuse to believe that Sandra stole those records. She says she didn't do it, and she's always been truthful."

The Colonel sighed. "Sit down, Captain Scarlet." He turned to Lieutenant Green and nodded. "Play the recording."

_This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know you can hear us, Earth men. We are transmitting on all your radio frequencies. We will invoke the fine. Do you hear us, Earth men? We will invoke the fine._

"You see?"

Captain Scarlet had gone very pale. He shook his head slowly. "It's not possible."

"We have to consider every possibility," replied White heavily.

"And I agree, but that isn't one of them. Sandra can't possibly be a Mysteron agent!"

"And why's that? She was in an accident, after all. Maybe she was killed, and the Mysterons replaced her."

"Actually, it's the accident that proves she _isn't _a Mysteron," said Scarlet. "Ask Doctor Fawn what the standard procedure for fractured limbs is."

The Colonel gave him an odd look, and pressed a switch on his desk.

"Doctor Fawn?"

"Colonel?"

"Could you tell me, what is the standard procedure for fractured limbs?"

The doctor sounded puzzled. "Well, if there is a suspected fracture, the first thing we do is x-ray the victim, then we-"

"Did you say x-ray?"

"Yes."

"Thankyou. That's all I needed." The Colonel leaned back in his chair. "You've just made me feel like an idiot, Scarlet."

"I'll try not to do it again, sir," replied the captain with a small grin on his face. "Believe me, now?"

"Yes." The Colonel leaned forward and looked at him frankly. "This doesn't prove she didn't do it, however."

"But if you add the Mysteron threat to this incident, plus the fact that Sandra _isn't_ a Mysteron, we come to the conclusion that someone else on this station _is_," Green pointed out.

"Either way, this is bad," completed Colonel White. He pressed another button, and Captain Blue's voice floated over the airwaves.

"Captain Blue, I want you and Captain Scarlet to go to the site where Charity Angel crashed immediately and have a look round. Talk to some of the people who cleared the place up, too."

"S.I.G."

CS

Going down to Earth involved paperwork. Captains Scarlet and Blue filled in the required forms and handed them to the correct person- that is to say, Secretary Plato.

This was the first time Scarlet had actually had a chance to meet Plato. Needless to say, it was awkward. Worse still, Scarlet was sure he felt a headache coming on. He handed the papers in without a word, and stared into space as Blue did the same. He barely heard Plato as he thanked them and wished them luck.

"Captain Scarlet?"

Scarlet snapped out of it. "Sorry, Adam, I guess I was just spacing for a moment."

CS

The wreckage had been cleared, but the crash site still bore signs of Charity's crash landing. There was a huge mark in the middle of the road where Charity's plane had crashed and the work force had re-laid the surface of the road. There was some missed rubble on the verge and in the field. Captain Blue's toe sent an overlooked bit of metal skittering over the tarmac. It was painted white.

"See anything?" asked Captain Scarlet, scanning the area with his eyes.

"Nope." Blue went over to the verge where he'd kicked the bit of metal, and something turquoise caught his eye.

"Captain Scarlet!" He picked it up. It was another piece of metal, painted a bright turquoise. Scarlet peered over his shoulder.

"The Angel craft don't have any turquoise on them, do they?"

"Not that I know of," replied Scarlet.

"Didn't Sandra say something about a turquoise car?"

"She also said she may have imagined it, and the clean-up crew said nothing about the wreckage of a car."

Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air. Immediately, the two captains ran for the nearest cover: a tree on the edge of the road. More shots splintered the bark, and the captains covered their faces for fear of getting hit by the splinters. Both pulled out their own guns and peered cautiously from behind their shelter. Another shot sent them back, but not before they'd caught sight of a pale man dressed entirely in black.

"Captain Black," hissed Blue, firing off a few shots. Scarlet did the same, then he heard a cry from Blue. The captain was clutching his arm, and blood was trickling between his fingers.

"Adam!" Scarlet glanced back at where Black had been, but he was gone.

CS

"So you found what you suspect was a fragment of the car Sandra claimed she had seen?"

"Yes, sir." Captain Blue winced as he pushed himself up higher on the bed. Doctor Fawn had removed the bullet and bandaged his arm, but he still had to stay in the sick bay for a little while, so the Colonel was conducting his debriefing there instead. Captain Scarlet cleared his throat.

"Can I talk to Sandra, sir?"

"Yes, I think we all should, actually," replied the Colonel. "Not you," he added as Blue made to get up. "You stay here."

Scarlet tried not to smile at the indignant look on Blue's face and followed his superior to the cellblock.

He could tell which one was Sandra's. Something about the two guards standing over it. One, he noticed, was Captain Magenta. He and the young man with him, a new captain in an orange uniform, nodded respectfully as they went in.

Sandra was curled up on one end of the thin bed. Paul could see that she had been crying and running her hands through her hair a lot. He knew her well enough to know that she was scared. She looked up as they walked in, her eyes wary, almost pleading. Paul struggled to keep his emotions in check. Now was not the time to get angry.

"Charity," said Colonel White in a surprisingly gentle tone, "I want you to tell us what happened that day you crashed. Just after you ejected will do fine."

Sandra nodded and sat up a little straighter.

"Well, after I ejected, I watched the plane continue to fall. It was then that I noticed that there was a turquoise car on the road, right in its path. Just before I blacked out, I thought I saw the plane crash into it, but when I came to, there was nothing but the wreckage of the plane."

"Nothing else?"

She paused, considering. "Just before I passed out the second time, I saw a turquoise car sitting under a tree."

"Thankyou." The Colonel got up to go. Paul stood up to follow him, but a thump behind them drew their attention back. Sandra had fallen off the bed, unconscious.

CS

After Doctor Fawn had been summoned, Paul and the Colonel walked slowly back to the control room, considering what she'd told them.

"She didn't mention the car under the tree in her report," said the Colonel.

"She'd already thought she'd been hallucinating, she probably didn't want to make it worse."

"Yes, but… do you think Rhapsody or Harmony might have seen this car?"

"They didn't remember the one on the road…" replied Paul.

"But they might have seen the one under the tree," completed the Colonel. The two turned and raced towards the Angels' lounge.

The round room was very quiet and subdued. Unsurprising, since one of them had been arrested.

"Rhapsody, Harmony," called the Colonel. The selected Angels stood up. "Could we have a word with you?" They nodded and made their way over. The Colonel gestured for them to step outside, and he and Paul led them to the control room. Once everyone was seated at the round console, the Colonel asked his question.

"As you know, Charity claims she saw a turquoise car. Do either of you remember seeing it?"

"Do you mean the car she saw on the road?" Harmony shook her head. "No. There was too much smoke from the damaged planes for us to see it from where we were."

"No, I meant after the crash. Under a tree, perhaps?"

Rhapsody frowned as she tried to remember. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "It was Secretary Plato's car. He parked it under the tree and ran over to Charity before Harmony and I got there. I remember him driving off in it after." Paul and the Colonel exchanged glances.

"Thankyou, ladies. I want you to stay here, rather than go back to the lounge, until I tell you so." Understandably, they looked rather surprised at this.

"Why?"

"We have reason to believe that there is a Mysteron agent on Cloudbase, in the guise of Secretary Plato."

"In that case, shouldn't we come with you for backup?"

"No," replied the Colonel firmly. "We'll be fine on our own."

CS

Paul barely suppressed a shudder as he took one of the Mysteron guns down from the rack. Just the sheer knowledge that he was holding one of the very few things that could actually kill him was enough. The Colonel noticed.

"I can do this instead if you want, Captain."

"No, I'm alright, sir." He clipped the gun harness over his uniform with practised ease. He looked up. "Ready."

The Colonel nodded, and the mike on his helmet fell down. "Lieutenant, can you locate the suspect for us?"

"Right away, sir." The sound of keys clicking reached their ears. "He's currently in his quarters on the second level."

"Thankyou." The mike returned to its original position and the Colonel reached for the detector. "Alright, Captain, let's go Mysteron hunting."

Neither of them noticed that there was a gun missing from the rack.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Captain Scarlet stood on one side of the door, and Colonel White on the other. They nodded to each other, and the Colonel punched in the override code on the keypad beside the door. It slid open noiselessly.

The room appeared to be empty. Then Plato emerged from one of the cupboards. A Mysteron gun was strapped to him.

"Stalemate," he said with a nasty grin.

He lifted his right hand, which held an ordinary pistol, and fired twice. The first bullet hit the Colonel in the leg. The second hit the alarm. The evacuation alarm.

CS

Sandra was jerked out of her troubled dreams by the sound of the evacuation alarm. She leapt out of bed, then suddenly remembered where she was. She was in a cell, and as a result wouldn't be able to get out. As if reading her mind, the door sprung open. _Of course_, she thought, relaxing slightly. _They'd have to get everybody out, criminals and all_. That brought a scowl to her face. She was _not_ a criminal.

There was virtually no one in the cellblock, so she encountered nobody. Once she reached the main corridor, however, she shrank back, not wanting to be seen by the Spectrum personnel dashing about. Seizing the first opportunity, she ran over to the weapons room and pulled a Mysteron gun from the rack. She knew exactly what Mark was, had guessed when the Colonel and Paul had visited her in her cell. She snapped the catches into place, and made her way to the second level.

CS

Now disarmed, Paul was crouched next to the Colonel. Both had been forced into Plato's bathroom, and the Mysteron himself was standing in the doorway, gloating.

"_We will invoke the fine_," said Plato in a falsely eerie voice. "So obvious now, isn't it, Earth men?" He raised the Mysteron gun a little higher. "This'll work on both of you. And now I've got the plans for it, too. Something else I "borrowed from the library."" He smiled a thin, malicious smile that oozed satisfaction. "You attacked our complex, when all we wished to do was extend the hand of friendship."

"Captain Black was always known to be more of a "shoot first, ask later" agent," croaked the Colonel. "I assure you, if he'd known-"

"It's too late, Earth man.

"You're so easy to mimic, so easy to fool. Sandra was absolutely besotted with me, it was easy to manipulate her. Hypnotising her so she'd faint every time one of you mentioned that crash of hers. Hiding the documents under her bed during one of our midnight meetings. The crash itself; it worked like a dream."

Paul snarled, and started forward, but a hand on his arm stopped him. "Don't, Paul," said the Colonel quietly. "It's not over yet."

"Of course it is, Earth man," snapped Plato with contempt. "There's no hope." He paused. "You have no idea how much I love indulging in these human clichés of yours." He burst out laughing.

Then, suddenly, the laughter stopped. Still with the horrible grin on his face, Plato fell backwards. Sandra stood behind him, a Mysteron gun over her uniform, an expression of pure hatred on her face. She swayed slightly. Paul leapt forward to catch her as she keeled over.

CS

"How is she?"

Captain Blue's question shook Paul out of his reverie. He'd been staring out of the windows of his rooms, watching the hypnotic swirling of the clouds outside. He grimaced sadly.

"She could be better."

Sandra had been taken to a private wing of the sickbay, and only Paul was allowed to visit her at the moment. As a result, he was being pestered continually for updates from his colleagues, the Angels in particular. He sat in a chair beside the window and gestured for Adam to do the same.

"I don't think she wants to get better. She really did love Mark, and all the time he was a fake."

"She never really knew him," Adam pointed out. Paul sighed.

"I know that, and she does too. Which is really part of the problem. She's in mourning but she's not; she's been betrayed, but she hasn't; she's a murderer but she's not."

"Difficult," agreed Adam.

CS

Sandra had never known a ceiling to look so… interesting.

She'd got to know it very well in-between visits from Paul, Doctor Fawn and, on one occasion, some expert in hypnosis who'd found a way to cancel out the effects of someone mentioning her crash to her. Otherwise, she'd been left alone.

It wasn't as if she'd been left there with nothing to do. On the contrary, she had a TV, several DVDs, letters, cards and enough books to last her a lifetime. Paul came to see her every day.

But she didn't want to do anything. She couldn't settle to anything. All she could do was lie in the bed and stare up at the ceiling blankly. The only sign that she was alive was the rise and fall of her chest, the occasional blink, and the solitary tears that sometimes tracked down her cheeks when she was alone.

She heard the door open, and waited for whoever it was to come into her range of vision. But they didn't. Paul would be straight over to her side, planting a small kiss on her cheek, saying the most mundane things in an attempt to make her smile. Doctor Fawn would appear at the bottom of her bed, holding a clipboard, asking a few questions. This wasn't Doctor Fawn or Paul. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she looked round.

A young captain in a pinkish uniform stood uncertainly at the door. She recognised him vaguely; she'd seen him a few times in the canteen with Paul.

"Hi," he said nervously. "I'm Captain Magenta."

"What's your real name?" Sandra was surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded.

"Patrick Donaghue." He took a step forward, his cap in his hands. "I can go, if you want."

"No, stay," said Sandra, heaving herself up a little so she was sitting. "I've only had Paul and the doctor to talk to. Speaking of which, how did you get in here?" Patrick looked rather sheepish.

"I sneaked in," he admitted. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"All to see little old me?" she asked with a hint of humour in her voice. He chuckled at that.

"Sort of, yeah. You won't tell?" he asked, suddenly anxious.

"Nah. I appreciate the company."

"Good," he said, obviously relieved. "I thought you wouldn't want to see anyone, since only Paul was allowed to see you."

"I didn't," she admitted, "mainly 'cos I wasn't sure what to say. I guess I was worried about the questions they'd ask me. But now that you've come to see me, I think I might actually want to have visitors. I want to start having a life again now I've had my sulk." He nodded.

"I know what you mean. I've been holing myself up in my rooms since I saw you and-" he broke off, blushing.

"What?"

"I…" he looked away, clearly embarrassed. "To be honest, I was jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Yeah." Patrick swallowed and cleared his throat. "You see, I kinda fancied you myself, and then I saw that Secretary Plato- I mean, his double- had beaten me to it, and… well…" Sandra smiled.

"Are you asking me out?" she said teasingly.

"Might be," he replied slyly, though his cheeks were growing redder than Paul's uniform. Sandra pretended to think about it.

"Because if you are, I think I'd accept."

"Then I'd ask you if you'd want to go with me to visit my hometown next time we're on leave."

"Sounds like a plan," smiled Sandra.

CS

Paul wasn't sure what he was expecting when he went to visit Sandra that night. Maybe more staring at the ceiling. But not smiling. And definitely not her asking to see more people now.

"What's brought this on?"

She grinned. "Captain Magenta sneaked in to visit me. I discovered that all I need is to see other people now. Not that I don't like seeing you," she added, "but I want to see the others. I want to get out and about. I'm fed up with lying in this bed all day, moping."

"That can be arranged." Paul stood up. "I'm going to talk to Doctor Fawn. While I'm doing that, get your clothes on and I'll take you up to the lounge."

"Thanks," she said, hugging him tightly.


End file.
